CASE 1 A historian has said this about Gen. George A. Custer: "Generals who led men were rare; generals who won battles were rarer. It is no wonder that he was idolized from President Lincoln down. All the world loves a winner." On June 26, 1874, Custer's 261 soldiers were killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Another historian asks, "Was Custer a hero or a fool?" On February 27, 1991, the allied coalition forces of Operation Desert Storm led by Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf overcame the armies of Iraq's Saddam Hussein in a victory that quickly became known to the world as "The 100-Hour War." Shortly before the war, Schwarzkopf is quoted as saying, "I told my family that during the first month of any military campaign, the guy in charge is a hero, and it's downhill after that." We don't normally think of military leaders as managers, but they are responsible for the actions of numerous subordinates in critical times. They must be effective communicators to carry out this mission. Generals Custer and Schwarzkopf help demonstrate the differences in managerial communication that have occurred during the past 120 years. General Custer led his 261 men on horseback in southeastern Montana. Compare this to General Schwarzkopf as you think about him stepping quickly toward the podium in a fourth-floor ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Riyadh to address 200 reporters from around the world. No doubt these two managers had different communication support systems, but they also had different responsibilities. General Custer was managing an operation of 261 horse soldiers. Schwarzkopf was coordinating a half-million-strong international military force including the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army as well as the first Tank Division of the United Kingdom and corps from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and France. What a difference! But in some ways their training was quite similar. Both were educated at West Point, went through army war colleges at Fort Leavenworth, were stationed at Fort Riley, and had frontline battle experience. Both had experienced defeat and victory. QUESTIONS: 1. Compare the management communication systems of these two managers. How are the basics similar? What was the role of technology? 2. Which of the two generals had the easier job? Consider this question carefully because Custer had a much smaller group of men, but Schwarzkopf had sophisticated technology and organizational structure. 3. Which of the two managers required more advanced training in management communication? Why? 4. How would you compare these two generals to business managers during the same era? CASE 2 Clarence opened a farm supply store in Montana during the early 1900s. His neighbors in the county were also his customers. Every person who walked into his store felt comfortable. In fact, they would often sit, sip a cup of coffee or shell some peanuts, and solve the world's problems before loading up their purchases. Clarence prided himself on knowing what his customers needed to be successful farmers, and he freely gave them advice about which brand of flea dip would work best on their cattle and which tonic would help a colicky horse. By the time he retired and his son Seth took over, the company had expanded to three stores in three towns and had 14 full-time employees. As a youth, Seth had attended the state college and earned a degree in Agricultural Business. He eagerly applied what he had learned to the family business. He was convinced that technology was the key to success, not personal relationships. Over the years, he struggled to convert all his father's old handwritten records to electronic files. Eventually he installed a completely computerized information system that tracked inventory, personnel, and accounts. He sometimes boasted about being an entrepreneur, but Clarence snorted at that term. "Just do what's right for your customers and you'll be doing what's right for yourself," he would retort. When Seth retired, his daughter Kathy took over the company that now has 23 stores with 228 employees in three states and one wholly owned subsidiary of 18 gas stations. Kathy's vision involves offering a broader range of products than farm supplies. She wants to sell the image of the family farm. Her stores stock western clothing; boots, hats, and jewelry; home furnishings; and even CDs featuring country and western music. Kathy finds herself traveling extensively from the corporate office to the various stores. Finding time to manage everything is a problem, but she has a staff of 12 professionals in the corporate office to assist her. A computer network, e-mail, and fax machines help tremendously. QUESTIONS: 1. How has the communication requirements differed for Clarence in the early 1900s and Kathy in the early 2000s? 2. How do you think the management behaviors differed for Clarence and Kathy? 3. In what ways do you think Clarence and Kathy were alike as company presidents? CASE 3 Mitch Finley, a 29-year-old with a degree in finance, began working as a loan officer at a bank two years ago. Later, he began consulting for other businesses in financial planning. His career goal has been to start his own business. Recently, Finley opened The Suite Thing, a development company using one of his original business ideas—the construction of two large hotel-like buildings containing suites (living room, bedroom, kitchen) rather than single rooms. The hotels are located in two cities that are important regional centers for the oil industry. Instead of renting the suites, he is selling them to large oil companies to meet entertainment and tax planning needs. Finley had been using a brochure his architects put together, but he was not pleased with its presentation. He had collected other company brochures that he liked and decided to call an advertising firm to design a new brochure and logo for his company. In the initial meeting, Finley told the advertising representative he needed a new company logo and a brochure folder that would hold his leaflets. Most important, the logo and kit had to be completed as soon as possible, because time was money to him. The advertising representative (very new on the job) acknowledged that his company could do logo and brochure layouts. The representative then asked Finley a few general questions about his two projects—what they involved, where they were located, and their surroundings. The agency rep said he would return within one week with his ideas. Two-and-one-half weeks later, Finley called the advertising agency and wanted to know if it had developed the materials. The representative came by later that afternoon with his idea. The agency's approach centered on a hard-sell theme of "Beat the Hotel Game with the Suite Thing." Finley, frustrated by the response delay and the inconsistency between the advertising agency's offering and his own image of the project, said, "No, that's not at all what I want." The advertising representative, taken aback, sat in silence for a time before responding in a frustrated voice, "Well, what do you see your project as being?" and reminded him of the time constraints Finley had given. Finley said he did not see hotels as his competitors, and he wanted a brochure and logo that used soft sell to introduce his idea to top-level executives as an investment. The next day the advertising representative returned with a more conservative soft-sell piece. Finley said, "That's kind of what I want, but not really." Finley cannot understand why he did not get what he wanted the first time because "that's their business and they should know how to do it." QUESTIONS: 1. What are some possible causes of Finley's communication problem? Of the advertising representative's? 2. Identify how assumptions caused communication problems in this case. 3. What actions would you recommend to the advertising representative to ensure this does not happen again? 4. Do you believe there is a communication deadlock? If so, what should the participants do to resolve it? CASE 4 Jane Rye is a student of advertising at State University and will graduate at the end of the next term. She has a part-time job in the sales department at a local television station. When hired, Rye thought she was very lucky to have a job there, not only for the money but also for the work experience. Pat Trent, the sales manager who hired her, was Rye's immediate supervisor. Rye was doing a very good job and received considerable support from Trent. In fact, the sales manager had nothing but praise for Rye's work when reporting to top management. Trent often told her subordinate that her work was exceptional and Trent would like to hire her on a permanent basis after graduation to head a new media research department for the station. The job seemed to promise a challenging and rewarding career. While Rye was flattered by the offer, she was not interested in the position because she found her present job unsatisfying. However, she never told Trent her feelings about the job or the possible appointment. Because Trent had trained Rye and had promoted her to everyone, Rye had become very loyal and grateful to her sales manager. Thus, Rye thought she would betray Trent if she refused the job. After six weeks, however, Rye decided to quit and work part-time at the university, but she did not know how to approach her boss. Rye, feeling unable to say anything unpleasant to Trent, let time pass until the day she was ready to quit to start her new job. When Rye got to work that day, the sales manager was scheduled to leave town later that morning. Rye was forced to go into Trent's office while two other people were there discussing another matter. Trent asked Rye what she wanted, and Rye replied, "I am resigning." The sales manager was taken completely by surprise, asked Rye why she was resigning, and wondered what was to be done with the project Rye was handling. Rye apologized for such short notice. Rye explained that she was taking a part-time job at the school starting tomorrow. Trent, very disappointed in her subordinate, said, "If you had told me sooner, I could have phased out the project to someone else—now I'm in a bind." QUESTIONS: 1. How should Rye have handled her resignation? 2. Where, when, and how do you think Rye should have resigned? Do you think Trent would have understood under different circumstances? 3. How did Trent foster Rye's reluctance to communicate? 4. What are some possible long-term repercussions of the way Rye handled her resignation? CASE 5 Because you are known to be a good writer, the director of human resources has asked you to put together a seminar on written communication for employees in your company who need help. The seminar would cover basic principles of written communication, letters, memos, and formal business reports. Managers have complained to the HR director that their employees don't write well. They produce as evidence sloppily proofread e-mails. The employees, on the other hand, are grumbling that having to attend a writing seminar would be like going back to high school, where a fussy old English teacher berates them over minor punctuation concerns. QUESTIONS: 1. How would you determine who should attend the seminar? 2. How would you market it so that participants of the seminar would attend willingly rather than through coercion? 3. How would you organize the seminar? What materials would you use? CASE 6 John Holgate, a section manager in a chemical plant, has several engineers reporting to him. As part of his job, Holgate attends meetings during any given day with some of his junior engineers, as well as with people outside his immediate group. Occasionally, people higher up in the company (the technical director or vice president, for example) attend these review meetings. The engineers who work for Holgate believe he often misrepresents them, and also think Holgate doesn't listen to what is being said. He frequently interrupts the speakers and completes their sentences for them. Since the engineers do not want to disagree with their boss openly, they do not contradict him in front of higher management. Naturally, this habit results in confusion, wasted time and effort, and poor morale. When members of higher management return for their next review, they usually find that the work they requested has not been done. In fact, they occasionally find that unrequested tasks have been carried out. As they listen to Holgate's project status review, management has lately been wondering what is going on. This doubt reflects not just on Holgate but on his subordinates as well. The subordinates' morale and productivity have been slipping. QUESTIONS: 1. Why does Holgate complete the speaker's sentences? 2. How can Holgate improve his listening skills? CASE 7 Bob Pierce, a gentle man of about 50, is the president of ABC Construction Company. The company is considered the most progressive and innovative in highway, bridge, and dam construction in the area. Pierce has served in different functional areas of the company, is fairly well educated, and is oriented toward engineering. Before becoming ABC's vice president of field operations, Walter Horton was the chief engineer of a rival firm. He has a reputation for being a very good project manager and for knowing intimately the details of ABC field operations. Pierce has just returned from sick leave. His bad cold is still slowing him down. It is now noon, and Pierce, who has finally caught up with the backlog of work, is preparing to go to lunch. Just then, Horton walks into his office. Horton has been trying to get in touch with Pierce the past few days for his decision about the construction plan for the new dam. Horton spreads his blueprints on the president's desk and starts his presentation. After the presentation, the following conversation occurs. Horton: Well, how do you feel about the plan? Pierce: (somewhat absently) Well, uh, pretty good . . . Horton: (a little too quickly) Is there anything I haven't made clear? Pierce: Mmm . . . no . . . Horton: Okay, good. Now I would like to present the plan to the board of directors and maybe . . . Pierce: Board of directors? Wait a minute. You're moving pretty fast. Horton: You agreed the plan's a good one, didn't you? Pierce: (Not with it at all) Well, yes. QUESTIONS: 1. What are the physical and psychological listening barriers Pierce faced during the presentation? 2. What assumptions is Horton making about Pierce's ability to grasp the situation? 3. What could Pierce have done to prevent the situation? 4. What are Horton's shortcomings as a communicator that would complicate the situation for anyone listening to him? CASE 8 Cedar's Furniture and Appliance is a chain of five stores, two located in Youngstown, two in Akron, and one in Cleveland. Cedar's main office is in Akron. Jane Pyle is the office manager at the main office. She supervises four word processing operators. Three of Pyle's employees are efficient and thorough. She tells them what she wants done once, and it is done. However, the fourth employee, Harriet Enders, seems to get little done right. She finishes her daily work, but she frequently has to redo it, thus putting an extra burden on the other three operators. They have to make up the work Enders has no time for because she is redoing her original work. The other three employees are beginning to complain to Pyle about the problem. Pyle doesn't want to terminate Enders because Pyle knows her subordinate can be a hard worker. When she does follow directions, Enders is the first of the four word-processing operators to finish. The office manager wonders why Enders doesn't understand directions while the other three people always seem to. She is almost sure that, although Enders is hearing, she is not listening. Enders' problem is preventing the office work from running smoothly. NEXT STEPS: 1. Write the dialogue Pyle might use to open the discussion with Enders about this problem. 2. What environmental factors might be responsible for Enders' difficulty in listening? CASE 9 Hanna Jenson recently applied for a position that involves supervising the work activities of a large comprehensive insurance company. She has just received a letter notifying her to report for an interview for this position in four days. The letter indicates Jenson will be required to attend a series of interviews as follows: 9:00 A.M. Rodney Custer, personnel manager 10:00 A.M. Ahmad Syed, department chief 11:00 A.M. Bobbie Kent, medical claims supervisor If Jenson gets the job, she will receive a substantial raise in salary as well as her first opportunity to gain supervisory experience. Therefore, she wants the job very badly and is concerned about how to prepare for each of the interviews. Although she has never worked in this particular department, Jenson has worked for the company for several years. She knows Custer and Syed on a casual basis, but she has never met Kent. Custer is 38 years old, meticulous in dress, and obviously very proud of the managerial accomplishments he has made since he became personnel manager two years ago. Jenson's friends in the department believe Custer is sexist and tends to hire men in supervisory positions if possible. Syed is an elderly rotund gentleman who will be eligible for retirement in two years. He is somewhat unkempt in appearance, but his knowledge of policy and regulations has earned him the respect of managers throughout the company. Jenson is especially concerned about the interview with Kent. If she gets the job, she will be working directly under Kent, yet she knows nothing about her. QUESTIONS: 1. What positive and negative suggestions would you give Jenson about her choice of dress for this interview? 2. What effective nonverbal signals would you suggest Jenson send during the interview, given the profiles of two of the individuals Jenson is to meet? 3. How could Jenson's strategy differ in each interview situation? CASE 10 Art Margulis is the 45-year-old director of marketing research for a Fortune 500 consumer products company. He joined the firm 19 years ago after he received his MBA with a marketing emphasis. Because of his technical expertise, management skills, and outgoing personality, he was made director of this 50-person group four years ago. Six people report directly to him, but the management style is informal, so he frequently interacts with everyone in the department. Two years ago, Margulis extensively recruited Maria Lopez, who had just completed her Ph.D. in applied statistics. Margulis had a difficult time persuading her to join the company because she had many attractive offers. Although she was only 34 years old, she had outstanding experience in marketing research and a unique educational background. Lopez came in and quickly made a number of significant contributions to the department. As manager of statistical analysis, she reports directly to Margulis but has nobody reporting to her. Soon after joining the company, Lopez and her husband divorced. Many employees in the department believe her personal problems are why she has not been more sociable with other employees. Lopez and Margulis have always gotten along well and often have lunch together to discuss various projects. They seem to have much in common as they both understand the advanced statistics used in the research. Recently, the conversations have turned more personal as Margulis went through a divorce and seems to be seeking more social support. In particular, he seems to miss his two teenage daughters and needs someone to talk to about it. But Lopez sees a problem developing, and she recently talked to a human resource manager about it. She explained that she has a lot of respect for Margulis and enjoys visiting with him. But she notices a definite change in his behavior around her. The eye contact is more prolonged and the personal physical space between them is reduced. Lopez feels uneasy about it and has tried to subtly change the trend. However, this only intensified what Lopez saw as "pressure" to spend more time with Margulis. Today, Margulis asked Lopez to have dinner with him so they could talk over a project. It seems they haven't had time to cover the project during working hours. Discuss this case in terms of nonverbal behavior and other topics presented in this chapter. What are the implications of this situation? CASE 11 Linda Sims is the manager of the accounting department and Jose Martinez is the manager of the sales department for a production company. This is a fast-growing firm, and the staff of the accounting department (11 employees) is often overwhelmed with work. Since the accounting department is located immediately next to the credit department, Ruth Rankin, the administrative assistant in credit, sometimes works on journal entries assigned to her by Sims. The company has experienced especially rapid growth over the past six months, which has caused everyone to be busier than usual. With the increase in sales volume, the credit office is under pressure to process applications more quickly, and Rankin is available to help Sims out with accounting overflow less often. Sims complains to Martinez that she needs Rankin to work in accounting more than he needs her in credit. Martinez's response is "If I can't move the credit applications through the pipeline in a timely manner, soon there'll be no need for an accounting department, because this company will be out of business." QUESTIONS: 1. What is the cause of this conflict? 2. Write a problem statement for this situation. 3. If you were Sims, how would you approach Martinez in this situation? 4. What style did Sims initially use? 5. What could Sims do to gain Martinez's cooperation rather than make him defensive? CASE 12 Rod Edwards, the advertising manager for Waterlite Advertising and Associates, has two assistants. One is Gina Reese, an account executive who gets clients for the company. Edwards's second assistant is Mina Patel, a copywriter. She does the actual writing and designing of the ads for the clients. Reese and Patel usually have a close working relationship because they work as a team on all clients' accounts. Reese gets the clients and discusses their needs with them. Afterward, she tells Patel about the conversation and the clients' needs so Patel can design the right ad. Once Patel finishes the ad, Reese presents it to the client. If the ad is a success, it is usually Reese who gets the praise and recognition because she is the one who interfaces with the client. In the past, Patel was not bothered by the recognition Reese got because she always knew she was the one who designed the ad. But the last ad Patel designed brought in a $1 million contract to the firm. Edwards immediately gave Reese a raise for bringing in the client but did not give Patel any recognition. Naturally, this caused friction between Reese and Patel, and their relationship began to deteriorate. Four days after Reese got the raise, their conflict reached a climax. Reese borrowed Patel's stapler (a trivial occurrence) and forgot to return it. Patel caused a scene and refused to talk to Reese for the next few days. The problem was brought to Edwards's attention because his department's productivity was declining. For the ads to be developed, the assistants had to work as a team. Edwards called both employees into his office and immediately started lecturing them. He insisted they get along and begin working on the next ad. He told them he expected an ad finished by noon the following day. Reese and Patel walked out of Edwards's office without resolving the problem. They did get some work done the next day, but their close relationship was never resumed. QUESTIONS: 1. What kind of conflict resolution strategy did Edwards use? What kind should he have used? 2. This an example of destructive conflict. Could it develop as a constructive situation? 3. What steps should Edwards have followed to develop a win–win strategy? CASE 13 Kay Kern is the director of the Corporate Safety Department for a large multiplant manufacturing company in the Midwest. The company has six major manufacturing plants, and each has its own industrial nurses. Twice a year, Kern has individual formal interviews with the nurses to find out if they have any major concerns or if Kern can help in any way. Since these nurses report to the personnel manager of each plant and not to Kern, this is not a performance review. Kern gets a lot of valuable information from the nurses through the interviews and seems to have developed a positive relationship with them. There is only one nurse, Joe James, who does not really open up to Kern and say much. On several occasions, Kern has tried to get information from James, but generally when Kern asks a question, all she gets is a one-word or superficial response. For instance, several months ago all the plants instituted a new program for monitoring the number and types of visits to the nurses' offices. Kern asked James if everything was all right with the new program. James merely shrugged and said, "Yes." This worries Kern because James is a young nurse with only two years of experience and he probably has questions and could use some help. Kern has even asked some of the other employees in the plant if James was naturally quiet, but everyone said he was rather outgoing and easy to get to know. Kern is getting frustrated, because in her 25 years of experience she has never had this much trouble getting someone to open up. QUESTIONS: 1. What are some possible incorrect interview strategies that Kern may be using? 2. What would you recommend to Kern? CASE 14 Jack Simpson, newly appointed human resources director for Geridan Contracting Corporation (GCC), had had an unusual morning. First on his agenda was an exit interview with Maria Johnson, the company president's executive secretary. Johnson had simply informed Simpson she was quitting, giving no reason. Judging from her performance reviews over the last few years, Simpson believed her to be a competent, enthusiastic, and dedicated employee. Even though Simpson had little knowledge of her workload, he could see no obvious reason for the resignation. He had set up this exit interview hoping to find out why she had quit. Next on Simpson's agenda was an interview with Ryan Ross, the president of GCC, who wanted to talk to Simpson before Simpson began interviewing later in the day for the secretary's replacement. Simpson had never conducted an interview for a president's secretary before, but he had planned on getting a good idea of what to look for during his talk with Johnson. He believed Ross would also advise him on what he expected from the secretary's replacement. However, when Simpson and the resigning executive secretary, Johnson, sat down in a quiet conference room at 8:30 a.m., the HR director's ears began to burn. Johnson explained that for the last six months she was being sexually harassed by Ross and that she was considering suing GCC (and Ross in particular). Simpson needs to know more about this accusation in case it does develop into a more serious situation. Also, the more facts he has, the better prepared he will be to discuss the situation with the president. What interview strategy should Simpson use with the secretary? QUESTIONS: 1. What type of questions would you recommend? What sequence? 2. What do you think will be the major barriers in this interview? Why? 3. What can Simpson do to be sure he is getting the facts? CASE 15 Samuel Jones has worked diligently for his supervisor, Eric Donnell, during the past three years in the accounting department of a local bank. During that period, he has never been reprimanded for any of the work he has done. In fact, only recently, he received his first, supposedly annual, performance review. Although he received a raise in each of the two prior years, this was the first time he was formally evaluated. The first year he received a memo from Donnell stating the amount of his raise. The next year, Donnell did not even inform him of a raise. Rather, Jones had to figure it out for himself from his paycheck stub. After sitting through his first formal evaluation, Jones is stunned. Donnell informed him his work effort is just average and he does not always show enough motivation in the tasks he undertakes. This is the most Donnell has said to Jones concerning his work since Jones began working there over three years ago. Donnell works on important matters alone in his office and shuts himself off from his employees' activities. Some of Jones's fellow workers see this as a sign the boss has faith in them to get the job done and to accept responsibilities on their own. But Jones believes Donnell is just avoiding responsibility and is not interested in involving himself with his employees. Jones believes his boss thinks "I've got my own problems, so don't come to me with yours." Jones has healthy working relationships with several other supervisors in the bank, and they all have told him more than once that his performance is above average. Because of this, Jones feels hurt that Donnell called him "average." As far as motivation goes, Jones does not see what there is to be motivated about. He never receives rewards, verbal or otherwise, at those times when he does good work. Consequently, he is confused about what levels of effort and performance will lead to the recognition he feels he deserves. QUESTIONS: 1. List some needs that Jones's boss could fulfill for him to increase his work effort 2. List some elements of job performance that Donnell must make sure are present to get better performance from his employee 3. What can Donnell do to get the most out of his performance evaluations? 4. What, if anything, can Jones do to increase the flow of feedback from his supervisor? CASE 16 Jerry Blaire is the regional manager of a national electronics franchise retail store. This franchise has over 200 locally owned stores throughout the eastern United States. As the regional manager, Blaire is responsible for an urban area in which there are eight stores, plus the remainder of the state, which has another six stores. The regional manager is the liaison between the manager-owner of the stores and the corporate offices in Boston. Responsibilities include monitoring the individual stores to ensure the provisions of the franchise agreement are maintained, dealing with any complaints from managers, taking product orders, introducing new products, and managing the regional advertising program. Blaire has been with this company for seven years, and before that he worked with a home entertainment retail store for three years after he earned his degree in marketing. Blaire is responsible for coordinating the advertising campaign for all 14 stores in the region. A major part of the campaign involves store hours, which had traditionally been from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The minimum number of hours required by the national office is 40 per week. However, several of the managers have been pressuring lately to change the store hours, especially those from downtown areas. They maintain that their business is minimal after 6 p.m., so they would like to close earlier. Meanwhile, the suburban stores want to stay open later because they do more business in the evening. According to the provisions of the franchise agreement, all the stores in a region must maintain the same store hours. The problem is getting more attention from the store managers and is a frequent topic of discussion as Blaire makes his visits. Blaire has decided to have a meeting for all the managers so he can systematically analyze the problem of store hours. QUESTIONS: 1. What type of leadership style should Blaire use in this meeting? Why? 2. What meeting format would you recommend? 3. What special problems would you anticipate for this meeting? 4. What preliminary arrangements are particularly important for this meeting? 5. Do you think it is a good idea for Blaire to have a meeting, or should he make this decision about hours himself? CASE 17 Waith Manufacturing Company's data processing department was preparing to implement a new computerized production information system at its new Madison plant. The project was divided into two parts. One consisted of the installation of a new computer network at the plant and the development of new database programs. The second involved hooking the plant's network into the company intranet so all departments had access to the production reports. Alonzo Mendoza was the systems analyst responsible for the development and implementation of the project. Janet DeLaura was a lead programmer under Mendoza working on the plant side of the project. Bill Synge was the other lead programmer responsible for the intranet. Mendoza scheduled a series of weekly status meetings with DeLaura and Synge to ensure the project was moving along as scheduled and to allow for discussion of critical problems. One month before the scheduled implementation of the project, Mendoza called a special meeting to develop the actual series of tasks needed for the final system conversion. During this meeting, Mendoza outlined the major tasks concerning the whole project that had to be done on that last day. He then solicited input from DeLaura and Synge. DeLaura spoke up immediately and began talking about several new problems that had surfaced on her side of the project. Mendoza interrupted her, saying those problems would be discussed at the regular status meeting since this meeting had been called to develop final conversion tasks only. DeLaura became irritated and was silent for a few minutes. Synge said he had a few items to add to the conversion list and covered the first two tasks. Then he said the last task covered reminded him of a current problem he had in the interface program. Mendoza replied brusquely that only conversion tasks would be discussed at this meeting. Neither DeLaura nor Synge had much to say during the rest of the meeting. QUESTIONS: 1. What would you have done to keep the meeting on the right topic? 2. What technique might Mendoza have used to avoid interfering with the flow of ideas? 3. What might DeLaura and Synge have done to improve communications?